In the games

Charon is first seen along with Mars at Valley Windworks to get energy from the windworks. During this encounter, it is revealed that he joined the team after Mars. It's also here where the player discovers that Charon is, in fact, one of the four Commanders, though the fact that he is the most junior among the Commanders' ranks is not revealed until the Stark Mountain subquest. He made a minor appearance in the Team Galactic HQ in Veilstone City right next to Saturn, where he was in front of the button to release the lake guardians.

Charon's role in the game expands after the player defeats the Elite Four and obtains the National Pokédex. Upon seeing Cyrus and Saturn being defeated by the player, he sees that the team should have plans that complement his intelligence. After Cyrus retreats into the Distortion World, Charon takes over Team Galactic and becomes the new leader. He takes Mars and Jupiter with him to the Battle Zone so he can retrieve the Magma Stone from inside Stark Mountain and capture Heatran. However, once the player encounters them, Mars and Jupiter quit because "things were more exciting when Cyrus was the leader." It is also at this time that the international police officer Looker, who had been hunting Team Galactic since the beginning of the game and appears from inside what previously appeared to be a rock, arrests Charon. He is not seen or heard from since.

According to a journal in a secret room in the Eterna Galactic HQ, Charon discovered information on Rotom's alternate forms. There is also a second notebook, which may or may not be Charon's, that details the initial encounter with Rotom.

Notebooks

In Rotom's Room, there is a mysterious notebook written by Charon, and a second, old notebook.

Mysterious notebook

The first is a mysterious notebook lying on a table. It reads:

"There is a mysterious notebook here. Its age is impossible to tell."

"It was by pure chance that I obtained information about the Pokémon Rotom. Remarkably, Rotom has the ability to enter and merge with special motors. It's now known that Rotom can stay inside a motor almost indefinitely. However, it will emerge if it enters a Union Room or Wi-Fi Club. Rotom will also emerge from the motor if it is left at the Day Care. Rotom may also forget certain moves when it leaves a motor. This Pokémon requires exhaustive observation and analysis. To ensure I get all the credit, my Rotom research must be kept secret. They will come to recognize me as the scientific genius Char..."

"The rest of the notebook is blank."

Old notebook

The old notebook is located in a chair in front of a machine. Whether this notebook belongs to Charon is not known. It reads:

"It's an old notebook. There's no telling how old it is."

"Our encounter was a sudden one. It was when I found my toy robot, one that I had earlier misplaced. At that instant, a Pokémon startlingly emerged from the lawn mower's motor! Clutching my robot, I stared, transfixed by the peculiar Pokémon.

The Pokémon hovered in the air, held aloft by a power unseen. As if curious and unafraid of my presence, it floated toward me. Crackling sounds accompanied it, as if from static electricity in the air. Remarkably, it seemed the Pokémon was the source of this power! In alarm, I flinched, certain that my face would be subjected to a shock. Much to my surprise, the Pokémon seemed to favor me with a smile.

Finally, I came to realize that the Pokémon only wished to be friends. I have decided to name this most wondrous Pokémon 'Rotom.' Simple though it may be, Rotom emerged to me from the motor of a lawn mower. Motor and Rotom... Surely the link is obvious?

Rotom is a Pokémon that is simply sensational. The fact that it can turn invisible is simply the beginning. What makes Rotom unique is its ability to enter and operate machinery!

Rotom and I became fast friends. We were perpetual companions. The electricity from its body forbade contact, however. We could not touch, let alone hug or hold hands, but we cared not. For we were bonded on a much deeper, incorporeal level.

A feeling of mischief got the better of me one day. Seeing Rotom hovering, I decided to startle it--normally I would not. Perhaps frightened, Rotom discharged power beyond its usual range. I fell, stunned, into the arms of unconsciousness...

When I came to, to my horror I realized that Rotom had disappeared. I searched high and low for my friend in dismay and desperation. 'Don't chastise yourself. The fault is mine. No harm done. Let us play as we always have.' Though my words poured out, my friend could not be found to hear them...

My search for Rotom carried me far from home. It was in the town's rubbish heap that I again found my old toy robot. Curiously, our eyes met, then the robot waved a hand as if in greeting. I knew then that I had found my lost friend. I ran to it and hugged Rotom tight, talking on and on.

The robot's eyes lit up happily as I held it. I'm certain that, within it, Rotom was emitting lots of electricity. Somehow, I felt I could understand Rotom's thoughts better than before. Also, I realized that we would remain friends throughout our lives..."

"The notebook ends with this page..."

Quotes

"My, my. Lose to a child, will you? But, no matter. We've collected plenty of electricity. With the power we obtained, we can do something quite spectacular. It seems quite obvious to me, Charon, the genius even the boss recognizes. Now, Mars, we should be going."

"Fuhyahya! Those Pokémon of the lakes, where do you suppose they would go?"

"Nothing. Pay it no heed. A new world isn't overly interesting. What of it? If Cyrus is right, then Team Galactic will rule that new world. That's when it will be interesting. A chance to enjoy its sweets. I surely hope that our visionary Cyrus realizes his dream. I look forward to whatever our beloved leader has planned atop Mt. Coronet."

"Humph. Saturn and even Cyrus fall to a mere child... Team Galactic's state of affairs is worrying... That plan of Cyrus's atop Mt. Coronet, too... Who knows if it will work. ...Hmm. Perhaps another option needs to be considered. One befitting the genius of Charon!"

"Sigh... So impressionable and impetuous. What do they see in Cyrus? Immature, overthinking buffoon. He goes through the trouble of assembling Team Galactic for what? Ultimately, he destroys his own creation for his ludicrous vision. It's no thanks to him that I have to struggle with the pieces."

"...But that's fine. The young can live with their dreams. I prefer to remain firmly in reality. And for that, money is paramount. You there, child. I'm not dealing with you. After all, the other Galactic members who did all suffered consequences. We'll be off to collect the Magma Stone. It's all for the money!"

"...Cyrus disappeared. Mars and Jupiter quit. Saturn said he would look after what remains of Team Galactic. But he won't join me. So foolish of him! So very foolish of the rest of them! Throwing away Team Galactic! After all the effort we took as a team to make it grow... That power could have made us rich beyond imagination. But, enough of that. The Magma Stone will be mine."

"Eh? What's this, then? Chased me here, have you? I like seeing children try their best, but too bad for you — you're too late. With this Magma Stone, I will awaken the legendary Heatran! I will control the volcano's eruptions to extort money by the millions! Fear me! For I am Charon! The boss of the reborn Team Galactic!"

"No! The Magma Stone! What?! What is going on?!"

"Gah... what a mess... ...Uh, International Police? What are you saying? I know nothing! A new Team Galactic? Extorting with Heatran? Merely the blathering of this harmless old man! All said in jest! Besides, among Team Galactic's Commanders, I was the most junior..."

He was often seen with a laptop computer and did much of the technical work for Team Galactic's plans, such as monitoring energy levels and other statistics. Compared to the other Galactic members, he is the most laid back and upbeat, which often caused one-sided squabbles between him and Saturn.

Voice actors

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Charon and Jupiter in Pokémon Adventures

In the Diamond & Pearl chapter, Charon is one of Cyrus's top scientists and is responsible for the creation of the Red Chain. During most of his appearances Charon is either shadowed or has his face obscured by a person or object. It isn't until Cyrus is defeated at the Spear Pillar where he finally makes his first full appearance.

After Cyrus is defeated by the hands of Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, Charon can be seen watching them from a distance. Charon notes how Diamond has a Regigigas and wishes to steal it from him. However, he is spotted by Diamond and the machine he was holding is taken by the Gym Leader Byron. Unfortunately, Charon's machine causes a disturbance in the hole in the sky that was created by Dialga and Palkia's fighting and mysterious tentacles shoot from the hole and pulls Cyrus, Palkia, and Dialga inside of it. Charon uses the distraction to introduce himself to his captors and escape. As he leaves the vicinity, his notebook detailing the information of Legendary Pokémon is stolen by Diamond's Kit at the last moment.

In the Platinum chapter, Charon is seen with the Galactic Grunts looking for the Legendary Pokémon Heatran. After he manages to trick Buck into uncovering the Magma Stone that seals Heatran in Stark Mountain, Charon steals it and uses it to attack him. When Looker arrives to help Buck, he is forced to defend himself from the attacking Charon and his small army of Grunts. After Looker manages to capture Charon, he begins to question his motives. Charon replies that he is looking for the Distortion World and is capturing the Legendary Pokémon in order to prepare an arsenal to get there.

The aftermath of the battle is not shown but it is seen that Buck and Looker were seriously injured and were sent to hospital after being rescued by Platinum's Pokémon.

Later, Charon arrives in Eterna City after Giratina enters the real world and begins going on a rampage. He appears before Diamond and Pearl and tells them of his plan to capture the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon of Sinnoh. He sends out Heatran to battle the two in an attempt to take Diamond's Regigigas. As the battle continues, Charon forces Giratina to attack Pearl with Shadow Force, but Diamond pushes him out of the way and is hit instead.

With Regigigas's Trainer dead, he tries to convince it to join him, only for it to turn around and leave instead. Charon teases Pearl over the death of his friend, sparking the boy's anger. He tries to attack Charon, but is sent flying by an attack from Charon's Slowking. Despite knowing that he might lose, Pearl decides to attack Charon, shocking him by revealing that he has one of the Pokémon Charon wanted, Rotom.

However, before Pearl can attack, Regigigas soon returns with Rotom's appliances so that Rotom can attack Charon in its rage. Together, Regigigas and Rotom force Charon and Giratina to retreat back into the Distortion World. Later, he encounters the other Galactic Commanders who are angry at him because he doesn't care about Cyrus, and only wants the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.

Charon lies to them by claiming that he is searching for Cyrus too, but his search is impeded by a group of people that were attacking him. He asks for their help and convinces them to fight off the people that were attacking him and they comply.

After Dialga and Palkia are freed from the cage Giratina trapped them in, Charon reveals he has Darkrai under his control as well and sends it and Heatran to battle against the other Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. The battle quickly gets chaotic, leading into a big brawl between ten Legendary and Mythical Pokémon along with an unwilling Shaymin. The sight of all these Pokémon sends Charon into a giggling frenzy, to which he exclaims that he intends to capture them all.

When Platinum tries to stop him, Charon faces her with his Slowking, only for it to lose easily to her Pokérus-infected Pokémon. Disappointed in how an "ordinary" Pokémon fights, Charon abandons his Slowking and goes to the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, only to see Heatran being defeated by Regigigas again. Charon has Darkrai put everyone to sleep with Dark Void so that Giratina can get in an attack with Dragon Pulse. Shaymin joins in the fight and uses Worry Seed to wake everyone up, allowing everyone to redirect Giratina's attack at Charon, destroying his flying machine in the process.

Charon decides to retreat, and has Giratina fly the both of them out of Distortion World so that he can leave everyone trapped inside. Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, and Shaymin chase after him, but neither are fast or powerful enough to catch up to Giratina, allowing Charon to escape. However, just as he does, Charon and Giratina are greeted to a powerful Draco Meteor used by Cynthia's Garchomp, which defeats them in the process.

Although Giratina is defeated, Charon tries to escape once more in the same way he did on the Spear Pillar, but is cornered by Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. Charon tries using his machine to control their Pokémon again, and forces them to fight each other. Suddenly, a toy robot crashes down onto the machine, destroying it in the process. When Charon tries to smash it with a boulder, the toy shocks him, revealing itself to be Rotom in the process.

After everyone that was left behind emerges from the Distortion World, Charon tries to lie to Cyrus by claiming that he intended to gather the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon for Team Galactic's sake. Cyrus reaches down to Charon, which Saturn and Mars think it means he's going to pinch him. However, Cyrus only takes the machine, and praises Charon for his technological genius. The records reveal that he has been using it since the battle on the Spear Pillar, which angers Saturn into figuring out that he was attempting to use the machine to control Dialga and Palkia into opening a hole to the Distortion World, to which Charon denies.

Cyrus speaks to his four Commanders once more and reveals that he is disbanding Team Galactic, and takes Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter away with him. Angry, Charon says that since they're bad guys, they should be arrested, to which a faraway voice agrees. The voice is revealed to be a now-healed Looker, who arrests Charon once and for all.

Pokémon

Abandoned

Slowking ♂

Slowking is the second Pokémon that Charon is known to own. Slowking first appeared when Charon arrived in Eterna City. Charon used Slowking to provoke Giratina into attacking Pearl. Later, when Pearl tried to attack Charon when Diamond was "killed", Slowking sent him flying. Later, he was used to battle Platinum's Pokémon in the Distortion World, but he was quickly defeated by them. Angered at his defeat Charon abandoned Slowking for the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.

Formerly owned

Heatran

Heatran, also known as the "Lord of Stark Mountain" (Japanese: ハードマウンテンの主Head of Hard Mountain), is one of the Pokémon that Charon researched on and captured. It was freed from its seal on Stark Mountain by Buck after he removed the Magma Stone. Charon then took it for his own gains and used it to attack Buck and later Looker. Later, it fought Diamond's Reg at Eterna City, but was nearly defeated by its Crush Grip. Later, it fought the other Legendary and Mythical Pokémon in the Distortion World, where it eventually betrayed Charon to help fight Giratina. After Charon's defeat, Buck and his friends decided to take it back to its home.

Controlled

Giratina first appeared after the battle on the Spear Pillar, where its tentacles emerged from the Distortion World to drag Dialga, Palkia, and Cyrus into its home. Later, it came to the real world to wreak havoc in Eterna City. With the help of Regigigas and Rotom, Diamond and Pearl managed to drive it back inside, but Diamond was hurt and sent to the Distortion World in the process.

In the Distortion World, Giratina got into a huge battle between several other Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, along with Heatran and Darkrai on Charon's side. When the battle was going in the enemies' favor, Charon had Giratina escape to the real world, only to be defeated by a Draco Meteor used by Cynthia and her Garchomp. Defeated, Giratina left to the Distortion World, but gave up its plans to get revenge on Dialga and Palkia.

Darkrai was originally owned by Sird, but she released it into the Distortion World due to it being "uncontrollable". Using his machine, Charon took control of it and used it against the other Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, along with Giratina and Heatran. After Charon was defeated, Darkrai was released from his control and left to parts unknown.

Controlled

Growlithe

Charon used an experiment in order for Koya's Growlithe to become isolated towards Koya. However, the machine controlling Growlithe was more difficult than the ones controlling Charon's Pokémon. It was able to reunite with Koya after Empoleon's Surf caused the machine to stop.

In the TCG

Related cardsCards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.

Trivia

Charon and Cyrus are the only Team Galactic members to not be named after a planet. However, unlike Cyrus, Charon is directly named after a solar system object. Though being the only Commander not named after a planet denotes his subordinate status in both English and Japanese.

In Japanese, his name is Pluto, after the recently demoted dwarf planet of the same name, whose planetary status was challenged after the discovery of a more massive object, Eris, orbiting at around the same distance from the Sun.

In English, his name is Charon, after Pluto's largest natural satellite, which Pluto forms a binary system with, due to their incredibly similar size.